Panama Open Air Festival Event managers expect 27,000 people in the Rheinaue

Bonn · The Panama Open Air Festival took place this weekend in the Rheinaue. New additions this year included heightened security and an entrance fee

The techno scene is getting together in the Bonn Rheinaue. The Panama Open Air Festival began on Friday- for the first time not in connection with Rhein in Flammen, and now requiring an entrance fee. Especially youth and students are protesting the cancelation of free open air festivals. “The city should focus more on youth. You used to be able to party on every street corner here, but today the party culture is being suppressed,” said 29-year-old festival-goer Mandrean Kolb.

Event manager Jan Hoffmann had no complaints: the “early bird” tickets sold out on the very first day of pre-sales. He is proud of the line-up of artists and stages, which wouldn’t have been possible if the festival were free of charge. “We have three huge stages and the elite of the techno scene is going to be here,” according to Hoffmann. “Bonn has never seen a festival of this dimension before.” Artists such as Laidback Luke, Maceo Plex and Lost Frequencies, along with the rest of the line-up, will make this festival one of the top ten in the techno scene.

The event managers expected 12,000 festival-goers on Friday and 15,000 on Saturday. Hoffmann emphasized the extensive security concept for the festival. About 50 security officials, two sets of fences, along with pat-downs and bag inspections should give music fans a high sense of safety. “The site is, in my opinion, one of the safest places you can be right now,” added Hoffmann. To date, Panama Open Air has been “a very pleasant event.”

Festival-goers traveled large distances to experience Panama. Shuttle buses are transporting people from a camping facility in Bad Honnef to the festival site. At the start of the festival on Friday at 4pm, the sun came out after the rain. Self-appointed “party culture representatives” Maria, Michael and Mandrean had a lot of fun at the Panama Festival. “Partying, great music, and just being yourself” are the things these three love about Panama.

(Orig. text: Rebecca Deus / Translation: Geena Kloeppel)

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